Video: Gordon Wagener on the Mercedes Concept Style Coupe

Mercedes-Benz has released a short video in which Head of Design Gordon Wagener presents the new Concept Style Coupe. The Concept Style Coupe, officially introduced at the recent Beijing auto show, was first seen at the Avant/Garde festival prior to Beijing in an unusual move for the brand. "In this case we thought the car was so progressive and avant-gardistic that we decided to put it here into this art show," says Wagener.

MIT researchers rethink electric-car batteries

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say a new battery design for electric vehicles could be a lightweight and inexpensive alternative. The goal for the team's three-year project, launched in September 2010, is to have a functioning prototype ready to be engineered as a replacement for existing electric-car batteries. At this point in the project, the prototype uses a “semi-solid flow” to separate the two functions of a battery--storing energy and discharging it when needed--into separate physical structures.

2015 Ford F-150 work to cost more at body shop

The 2015 Ford F-150 pickup that debuted at the Detroit auto show came in weighing about 700 pounds less than its predecessor. That means improved performance and better fuel economy, so that’s a win-win, right? Well, less than 10 percent of independent repair shops are certified, meet training requirements and have the equipment to work with aluminum body parts, according to Darrell Amberson, chairman of the Automotive Service Association.